DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Dallas needs to become a more economically balanced city with opportunities in every part of town, Mayor Tom Leppert and several members of the Dallas City Council said at a forum Monday.
Sitting on a stage at the Adam's Mark Hotel before an audience of elected officials, community and business leaders and others, the mayor and council members discussed the results of the second annual Dallas Wholeness Index released by the J. McDonald Williams Institute.
The study showed that Dallas is making some progress in leveling the disparities that have long marked civic life here.
"The thing we're learning is we are all in this together," Mr. Leppert said. "People understand that the city has to do well."
The mayor echoed comments by council members Mitchell Rasansky and Vonciel Jones Hill, who represent northern and southern districts, respectively, that investment in the poorest parts of Dallas must be a priority for the council.
Council member Tennell Atkins called Dallas "a tale of two cities," one prosperous and one left behind. That needs to change, and the Wholeness Index is one tool in understanding how to bring that change about, he said.
Dr. Timothy Bray, director of the Williams Institute, said the council seemed to understand what the index is and how it can be used to help the city.
"We can really move the ball. It is possible to make change in Dallas," he said.
Among the study's more troubling findings was the rate of high school dropouts in West Dallas, Oak Cliff, Oak Lawn and the southeastern sector compared with other parts of Dallas.
Mr. Leppert said the council can have an effect on schools and suggested two programs that the city should enact to help disadvantaged students.
One involves an early reading program for 3- and 4-year-olds using city libraries and volunteer groups, Mr. Leppert said. Another program would create scholarships for freshmen and sophomores to encourage them to graduate.
Council member Steve Salazar also suggested the city look into bringing back work-training programs for students at risk of dropping out.
"What are we not doing with these seventh- and eighth-graders and ninth- and 10th-graders that is not helping them stay in school?" he asked.
Several council members said crime and the perception of crime continue to hamper all of Dallas.
Ms. Hill called on the city to step up efforts to keep streets, alleys and neighborhoods clean. Clean neighborhoods lead to safer communities, she said.
Mr. Leppert noted that so far the City Council has tackled problems as a group and that he expects continued cooperation in the traditionally fractured body.
"I'm really excited about what the council is doing. I think it portends well for the future," he said.